Someone to Hold
by thatreevesgirl
Summary: Gaara x Naruto. YAOI. Gaara and Naruto have been friends for a decade. After a single indiscretion between them, it seems like their friendship might falter and crumble. Gaara must help Naruto face his new demons, otherwise they might lose everything.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Someone to Hold**  
Pairing**: Gaara x Naruto**  
Rating**: M**  
Warnings**: yaoi, usage of an OC, mention of three prior character deaths**  
Author**: thatreevesgirl**  
Word Count**: 6700

* * *

**_Someone to Hold_**

**_by Lemon Drops/thatreevesgirl (both me)_**

**_One-Shot_**

* * *

Gaara ran his fingers over some corded embellishments tied around one of the curtains in his guest quarters. It was always so nice coming to Konoha, a very peaceful and calming place. As the Kazekage, the civilians and the ninja of Konoha always treated him well. Even now, years after having the Shukaku removed, there were some in his own village who refused to accept him. Gaara sighed as he realized that his life still so closely mirrored Naruto's. Whenever the boisterous blond man came to Suna he was welcomed with open arms and great respect, but here in his own village there were still a few who whispered vicious things behind the back of the man who had the demon nine-tailed fox sealed within him. Maybe that was why Gaara's friend came to visit so much, because being somewhere you were appreciated was a refreshing break. 

"Yo, Gaara!"

There was that happy, sunny voice of Uzumaki Naruto now. As bright and energetic as Naruto was, it didn't seem to rub off much on the Kazekage. He was still quiet and reserved, but there was something about his stoic nature which seemed to fit so well with his friend. When Naruto talked, Gaara listened. When Naruto got upset Gaara was a calming presence. In the same respect, Naruto helped Gaara as well. Gaara had times where his heart would ache and hurt like it had in his younger years. It was Naruto who stood by his side and reassured him. It was Naruto who recognized and knew that pain and was able to give Gaara the strength to smile.

Gaara released the cord from his fingers, letting the curtain fall back against the window. The kage had been expecting to catch a glimpse of his friend before he popped in, but Naruto seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Gaara was meticulously trained in the art of sensing chakra signatures, mostly to avoid assassination attempts on his life. This meant Naruto was definitely getting better at his ninjutsu, because usually Gaara could sense his friend from at least a hundred feet away before Naruto could get anywhere close to him.

"Gaara, come on. You can daydream later, cause we have ramen to eat!" Naruto's smile grew wide as he mentioned his favorite food, even bigger when Gaara nodded and began to follow him.

They had been friends for nearly ten years now, starting sometime soon after Gaara helped fight the ninja from Sound who took Sasuke. Those years seemed to pass in a blink of an eye, and a lot had happened to the two of them. Both he and Naruto had gone through some extremely difficult times, and both had lost some of the people they considered precious to them. Going through that kind of grief changes a person, so Gaara was grateful for the person he'd been able to rely on during those hard times. Gaara and Naruto hid their pain differently. Gaara's introversion increased when he suffered through personal trauma, while Naruto's smile was used to cover his tears. Neither of them could hide the truth from one another anymore, both able to read the other like a book.

"So when is your Hokage retiring?" Gaara asked as he trailed Naruto along a dusty back road. Naruto shrugged in response, but they both knew it would be soon. Naruto was one of the people on the short list of individuals being considered as Tsunade's successor, so was Naruto former sensei, Kakashi. There weren't many others who seemed to be in the running. Naruto had once told Gaara that he wouldn't mind having Kakashi as the Hokage since he was a good man. Gaara would have to agree with that, because Kakashi was a person who seemed to genuinely care about Naruto. Though as the Kazekage, Gaara wasn't sure he wanted to work with someone who read porn during his downtime.

Naruto got a sad smile on his face, then stopped walking. Gaara followed suit and stopped next to his friend, a curious look in his eyes as he observed Naruto. The taller blond man swallowed hard and then asked quietly, "Do you mind we pick up Aiko? And maybe visit the memorial stone after we eat?"

Of course Gaara didn't mind, Naruto should know that. Without speaking, the Kazekage simply nodded and started walking, taking the necessary detour to the Uchiha district. It was a place that felt completely empty, the ghosts of the past seeming to be the only thing which filled the stale air. It was hard to imagine that one little girl had run of the entire compound. When the two of them got to the right building Naruto knocked and waited for a reply. A little girl, nanny in tow, struggled with the heavy weight of the wooden door. She was a slight, tiny thing, because even for five she was small. Her large, dark eyes traveled upward until she recognized Naruto's face.

"Uncle Naruto!" she cried happily, throwing her little arms around his leg. She had a reddish-brown shade of hair, and a wide forehead, the only large thing on her entire body, a trait courtesy of her mother. "Ramen? Do we get to have ramen today?"

Naruto smirked at her, nodding as he scooped her up in his arms. "And afterwards, do you want to go visit mom and dad?"

The little girl's smile dimmed, but only a little as she told Naruto a quiet, "Yes," before tossing her arms around Naruto's neck and hugging him for all she was worth. She pulled away and started talking about everything she'd done that day. Gaara listened intently as the young Uchiha girl recounted picking flowers and washing her pet cat and even reading the book her Uncle Kakashi had dropped by for her. Naruto immediately asked about that one, but was relieved to find Kakashi had only given Aiko a collection of fairy tales.

Aiko and Naruto waved goodbye to the Aiko's nanny. She was a plump woman in her fifties with a warm smile and a good heart. She was good for Aiko, but wasn't a replacement for either Sakura or Sasuke. She was there to help educate the girl, watch her, and do a portion of the household cleaning. Gaara knew that wasn't any kind of substitute parent. He'd had been surrounded by many of that type of person as he grew up, and yes, his was probably a little different from the situation Aiko had, but he understood the difference between a caretaker and a loved one.

"H…hi Uncle Gaara," a hesitant voice called as the three of them walked toward the ramen stand. The little girl didn't look at him as she said that, she chose to instead hide her face with her hair and bite on her thumbnail, keeping her eyes locked on the ground.

Gaara might have misinterpreted Aiko's timidness as fear if Naruto hadn't leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Awww, it's so cute, she has a crush on you."

The girl was indeed blushing as she reached up and grabbed Gaara's pinky finger in her hand. Gaara immediately scrunched his brows together as he observed Aiko giggle and grip his finger in her hand, still unable to look him in the face as she did so. Women, especially young girls, baffled him, though Gaara had to admit it was kind of cute.

Naruto gave a fake sigh, and kicked the dirt of the street with his sandal. "Oh dear, my Aiko doesn't love me anymore, she found someone new."

Aiko's laugh was like a cheery bell, and she quickly reached for Naruto's hand with her free one. "I could never forget you, Uncle Naruto."

Naruto held Aiko's hand securely in his own, swinging it freely as the two of them carried on conversation. Gaara, of course, merely listened to Naruto and Aiko talk, wondering how his friend became so adept with conversing about things little girls enjoyed. He supposed that it was sometime after Sasuke and Sakura were killed, seeing as Naruto was probably the closest thing to a parent Aiko had in the two years since that time.

When the ramen stand came into sight, there was a tall, silver-haired man standing beside the awning, reading a familiar orange book. When the older man noticed Aiko that book was quickly tucked into a pocket of his flak jacket, just in time for the, "Uncle Kakashi!" Aiko squealed at him. She released Gaara and Naruto's hands in order to take a running start to hug the copy-nin. After only a few steps she stopped, turned and grabbed at Naruto and Gaara's hands once more and nudged them together, throwing Naruto's hand around Gaara's. "There, now you won't miss me," Aiko told them before she ran to Kakashi.

Gaara was shocked for a moment, not knowing how to react as Naruto's hand was holding his, but Naruto didn't miss a beat, he just laughed as told Gaara with a smile, "Wow, I didn't think she'd get _that_ from Sakura too."

Naruto dropped Gaara's hand and walked toward the ramen stand, leaving the Kazekage where he was. Gaara tried to compose himself as he attempted to will the embarrassment on his face away. The redhead could still feel the flush on his cheeks as he began following, but continued on anyway because he didn't want Naruto to notice how much of an effect such a silly thing had on him. When Gaara stepped inside he was greeted by several happy hellos.

Aiko was sitting next to Kakashi on one side, and on the other there was an empty stool. Naruto patted the seat as an invitation. "Aiko wanted to sit by you."

Gaara sat down as Naruto ordered for them, and he noticed Kakashi was now reading a ninja tactics manual, something much more boring than his usually fair, but more appropriate as well. Aiko was happily humming to herself as she kept stealing little glances up at Gaara. Kakashi was watching the situation as well, and with a devilish smile in his uncovered eye, he leaned down and whispered something in Aiko's ear.

The little girl giggled and blushed, and Naruto told the copy-nin to stop corrupting her. This prompted a short argument between Naruto and his mentor, even if it was mostly unserious. Gaara was still observing the two men when he felt a tug on the sleeve of his arm. Aiko looked up at him with those dark, almost black eyes of hers, this time not looking away like she had before. "I have a secret to tell you, Uncle Gaara."

Gaara of course quirked a brow and waited for her to tell it, but Aiko motioned for him to lean down so she could whisper it into his ear. Kakashi and Naruto were still having a heated discussion, so neither of them saw Kakashi's handiwork set in motion, but as the little girl cupped her fingers around Gaara's ear so no one could hear the secret but him, Naruto noticed. The blond sighed, he knew this trick, because Kakashi had taught it to Aiko several months ago, thinking it was so cute for her to do.

Gaara was still waiting for the secret when the little girl pressed her lips against Gaara's cheek and announced, "Kiss no jutsu," giggling as she pulled away.

"Tricky little thing, isn't she?" Naruto grumbled with his arms crossed, glaring at Kakashi. Gaara was still sitting quietly stunned as Naruto leaned down and pointed at his own cheek, "Where's mine, Aiko?"

The little girl hopped off her seat and went to give Naruto a kiss, leaving an empty spot between Gaara and Kakashi. "Are you okay there, Gaara?" the masked ninja asked.

Gaara nodded, bringing his fingers to his cheek. "It's uncommon for such open displays of affection in Suna," he managed, not at all wanting to admit that a little girl was the first person to ever kiss him.

It was rare in Suna to receive kisses from anyone, including family, but Gaara's case was more extreme than most. He had always been too busy to date, and he really didn't have any family of his own other than Kankuro these days. His brother wasn't married, so there were no children in their house, or maybe it would be filled with a bit more love. Gaara hadn't received any pressure to get married either, and though there were some girls in his village who admired him, they did so from afar. Gaara hadn't ever sought out companionship either, seeing as intimacy, even in the way of friends, was very difficult for him to manage. He was happy with the bonds he had already made, and really wasn't looking for more.

"Hey Gaara, snap out of it, did lil' Aiko put you under her spell? Watch out, I think she's going to be mighty tough with that genjutsu of hers," Naruto teased. Any more conversation on the topic was temporarily put on hold, because bowls of hot ramen were placed in front of the four of them, and everyone immediately dug into their meals.

Kakashi was the first to finish his food, and Gaara wondered when the copy-nin had time to eat all his ramen without anyone noticing. Naruto glared with a mouthful of noodles hanging from his lips, growling as the copy-nin waved goodbye to everyone and stuck Naruto with the tab. After so many years of Kakashi pulling the same stunts, no one, not even Gaara, was surprised that the older ninja had done so. Aiko was happily slurping away, but managed to wave a single, tiny hand at Kakashi as he left.

Naruto gulped down his bite and rolled his eyes. "He never changes, you know? I swear he owes me a couple thousand meals of ramen by now. It isn't like when I was a kid. I don't get the free coupons anymore."

Aiko was the next to finish her bowl, and she twirled on her stool as she waited for Gaara and Naruto to finish. Gaara followed quickly, though he knew that they would probably be a while longer. Naruto usually ate several bowls of the stuff. As if on cue, Naruto raised his hand to get the owner's attention, this time choosing pork ramen. Aiko seemed to be getting restless, so Naruto tapped Gaara on the arm.

Naruto held out a couple of coins in his hand. "Why don't you take her over to the arcade across the street while I finish. I'll be over in a minute, and then we can go out to the memorial stone."

Gaara took the money in one hand, and Aiko, who had overheard everything, grabbed his free one. She tugged Gaara from his stool and the two of them were off. Gaara's steps were quick and long to keep up with the excited little girl who was bounding off to the arcade. When the two of them stepped into the shop, they found it mostly empty. Only a few children were scattered about playing games. Most of them were probably in school or at the academy.

Aiko quickly plopped down at a pinball game and held out her hand for Gaara to give her one of the coins. Gaara watched curiously as she played, seeing as he had never been to an arcade and had never played any of this type of game. Suna didn't really have an arcade of its own, and the thought of childhood games started to bother Gaara, bringing up difficult memories. He just stood and stared quietly at the little girl, not wanting to upset her by pulling her outside and away from the source of his current inner turmoil. Instead, Gaara allowed himself to turn to that stony, emotionless void which he commonly used whenever he felt overwhelmed.

"Uncle Gaara?" the little girl asked, tugging on Gaara's sleeve, this time getting Gaara's attention. Apparently she had been calling his name for a while. Gaara looked down at her and waited for her question. "Do you want to play that game with me?" she asked pointing at something called 'Whack-a-fox'.

"I don't know how," he mumbled, still a bit numb from the wash of memories which had taken hold of him only moments earlier.

Aiko didn't find fault in that, instead she just told Gaara that she would show him how. Picking up one of the soft mallets, and then handing Gaara the other, Aiko told him that the goal was to hit the foxes on their heads when they popped out of the holes. Gaara nodded and dropped a coin into the slot which fell with a soft plink. There was a clear line down the middle of the game, showing Gaara which of the foxes were his to hit, and which were Aiko's. The little girl let several of the things that popped out of the holes go by, until she wacked a purple fox on the head and earned herself a point. Gaara, on the other hand, was hitting every single thing which popped out with his ninja-heightened reflexes. He wondered how that earned him a score of negative fifty-eight.

"You aren't supposed to hit anything but the foxes," Naruto said from behind Gaara, which prompted a frustrated growl from the Kazekage.

"She didn't tell me that," Gaara said, this time noticing that foxes popped up fairly rarely, finding that most of the time there were gophers or cats coming out of the holes. They looked so similar to the foxes. It was an easy mistake to make.

"I told you to hit the foxes," Aiko reiterated, smacking a pink fox with her soft mallet, bringing her score to a total of thirteen. Gaara couldn't help but notice the cringe Naruto made when Aiko said this. The Kazekage quickly realized this game was designed to represent the Kyuubi within Naruto, perhaps even Naruto himself. Gaara's heart hurt the next time he thudded a tiny fox with his mallet, it must have been painful for Naruto to see these kinds of things.

Fortunately, it didn't have as much of an effect on Gaara's friend as he suspected. The short period of silence was broken when Naruto laughed as he noticed Gaara's score of negative thirty eight. "When you hit a non-fox it takes away five points. I don't think you're going to win Gaara." Gaara squinted his eyes at Naruto, letting his friend know that the commentary wasn't appreciated.

The game signaled it was over and Gaara placed the mallet back it its holder. The clear winner was Aiko with a grand total of fifteen points, and Gaara was the loser with a negative thirty three. Aiko ran to Naruto's side and grabbed his hand, tugging him out of the arcade. It was rare for a child to be in such a rush to leave an arcade, but today she had somewhere better to be than here. Today, Aiko's uncle Naruto was taking her to see her parents.

There was a time when the little girl was sure that Naruto was actually taking her to see her mother and father. She expected to find the two of them waiting to greet her with open arms, just like nothing ever happened, but it was never true. Over time Aiko realized her parents weren't coming back, and Naruto was taking her to a place where her mother and father could hear her, even if they couldn't respond back.

When the three of them reached the site, Aiko ran and plopped down beside the stone. She immediately started jabbering about anything and everything. Telling her mother and father about all the things she had done in the week or so since Naruto had taken her to visit the stone last. Naruto stood back and watched, Naruto's eyes looking a bit glassy as Gaara noted the wetness accumulating in the corners.

"I miss those two," Naruto managed to choke out. "First the bastard dies, then Sakura, the two of them leaving me and Aiko all alone to fend for ourselves. It isn't fair."

Gaara swallowed the lump in his throat, then responded quietly, "Life isn't fair, Naruto, you should know that by now."

Naruto had told Gaara the story of how Sasuke and Sakura had died many times before, but every time the blond man did, a dull pain seemed to take hold of the Kazekage's heart. Not because he was exceptionally close with either the Uchiha or Naruto's childhood crush, but because of how the loss hurt Naruto. For the longest time Naruto blamed himself for Sasuke's death, and therefore Sakura's as well. Sasuke had been protecting his teammate when he perished, and Sakura had returned to duty too soon after her husband's death. She hadn't been in the right state of mind for battle. Sakura accepted a high ranking mission, but was mentally ill-prepared for it, which in turn cost Sakura her life.

A tear dripped down Naruto's cheek, and Gaara could tell his friend was fighting back more. "At least she has you and Kakashi," Gaara whispered to his friend, watching as Naruto used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe at the moisture on his cheek and the corners of his eyes. "It's better than what we had."

"I suppose," Naruto sniffled, attempting to hide his face from Gaara. Naruto might have been more open with his emotions than most people, but that didn't mean that he liked showing them any more than Gaara. It was obvious Naruto was embarrassed by his tears. Not only that, but if Aiko saw Naruto crying at the stone, she was likely to start as well. The little girl missed her parents terribly.

"Sasuke-bastard was actually a good father," Naruto mumbled into his sleeve, not able to stop the tears, probably causing more by talking candidly about his deceased friends. "Sakura was so happy to have a little girl. I was happy because _they _were happy."

Gaara wanted to chastise his friend for lying, but now wasn't the time. Naruto had been deeply in love with Sakura, and though the two of them never had a chance for a relationship, Gaara was sure that if she had given Naruto half a chance she would have discovered a similar love for Naruto. Gaara had fewer qualms with Sasuke, seeing as the Uchiha did the best he could to make amends upon returning to Konoha, but it angered the Kazekage to think of how Sasuke started a relationship with Sakura without any regard to Naruto's feelings.

Gaara sighed, he was being protective of his friend again. It was a familiar situation for him. It seemed to happen whenever Naruto dredged up the past. Perhaps it was because Naruto had protected and saved him when they were younger, but Gaara felt it was his duty to shield Naruto from as much pain as he could. Laying a hand on Naruto's shoulder, Gaara felt his friend take a long, shuddering breath. It was difficult to watch, especially since there was so little the Kazekage could do for him.

"Would you stay here and watch Aiko? I need a minute to myself." Gaara nodded and watched Naruto walk from the clearing into a patch of dense trees. Gaara could barely see, but there was a bit of orange propped against a tree. Gaara witnessed as Naruto shuffled his body down to the ground, sitting and cupping his face in his hands in some attempt to cover up his tears. It was an impossible task though, because even if Naruto could have hid his tears, he couldn't conceal the sobs racking his body. Gaara was torn. He knew he was supposed to stay and keep an eye on Aiko, but part of him desperately wanted to go console his friend. He hadn't seen Naruto break down like this since Sakura's funeral.

Gaara was still contemplating the situation when a familiar, "Yo," broke him out of his thoughts. Kakashi was standing next to him, still reading the ninja tactics manual from earlier. "I was thinking that I'd steal Aiko away from Naruto for the afternoon. Apparently the academy is putting on an impromptu sparring exhibition, and I thought she might like it."

Gaara could see right through Kakashi, because though the older man enjoyed spending time with Aiko, he abhorred being roped into anything dealing with the academy. Apparently, everyone had ghosts which haunted them. Naruto had told Gaara on several occasions that many of Kakashi's lie in the school which taught him to faithfully follow the ninja-code without question. Gaara was grateful at the same time to the older man, nodding his ascent to show he agreed to Kakashi's idea.

"Perhaps you should make sure he's okay now," the jounin murmured, referring to Naruto. Gaara could see it in Kakashi's single, uncovered eye, Naruto's mentor was worried about him too. Gaara waited until Kakashi had approached Aiko and informed her of his idea. The little girl was immediately excited. She wished her mother and father quick goodbyes and wandered off with Kakashi. When the two were out of sight, Gaara made his way into the thick, overgrown patch of trees. Moving small tree limbs aside, and stepping over broken branches, the Kazekage finally made it to where Naruto was.

Gaara knew there weren't words which could make this better, so he sat by his friend on a mossy root sticking out at the base of the tree, waiting patiently until Naruto was ready to talk. Even if Naruto decided to not say anything it would be fine with Gaara, because sometimes just having someone by your side could dull this kind of heartache. When Temari was killed, Naruto came to Suna and did the very same thing. Gaara could remember how silent Naruto was, and how it seemed so abnormal for the blond to not say a word as he stayed and sat with Gaara. The young kage didn't quite understand it, but it did make him feel better.

Naruto was attempting to wipe the moisture from his eyes again, and there was a quiet, squeak of a question which was merely Aiko's name. It was about all Naruto could manage at the moment.

"Kakashi took her," Gaara responded. There was a worried tone hinted in the sound of his voice. Gaara tried to hide it, but honestly there was nothing he could do. This was Naruto, his friend, the person who had saved him so many years ago. Maybe it meant Gaara wasn't as strong as Naruto when it came to these kinds of things, or maybe it meant that Naruto was Gaara's weakness. Not in a bad way, mind you, but in a way which made him ponder feelings he preferred to keep hidden, even go as far as to pretend he didn't have them.

"I miss them," Naruto asserted. The bright smile he usually used to shield his pain had all but disappeared.

"We should always cherish the people who are precious to us, I'm sure they would appreciate how you honor their memory." Gaara looked at the ground beneath him, unsure if what he was saying was helping or hurting. "Aiko is lucky that she has you too, because you help her remember her precious people as well."

Naruto shifted his weight, leaning forward and away from the tree trunk. His body was slumped and Gaara couldn't help but think how broken his friend appeared. Years ago he would have interpreted this as some sort of weakness, but now it tugged at his heart to see Naruto like this. There were few times in his life when Gaara had embraced anyone. Temari hugged him once or twice, Kankuro once, half-heartedly at that, Naruto had done it one time without thinking because he was so happy; but Gaara had never been the initiator, and he didn't really want it any of those times. Now he wished vehemently he could embrace Naruto and take away some of that pain just like he saw others do when they were dealing with grief.

One of Gaara's hands balled in the sleeve of Naruto's shirt, tugging softly as he tried to urge Naruto toward himself. Naruto's body didn't budge, and Gaara realized he would have to go to him if he wished to truly hug his friend. Gaara moved off the root he was seated on and tugged at Naruto's shirt once more, this time presenting himself in front of the blond man. Naruto sighed and wiped at his eyes again, but slowly Gaara could tell that he was inching forward. A few more moments and Naruto's head hesitantly bumped into the vest covering Gaara's chest. Naruto let out a frustrated sigh and quickly buried his face against his friend, arms now circling Gaara's waist as Naruto allowed himself to be held.

Gaara was a little unsure of what to do, being completely unpracticed at doing anything like this, but his arms mirrored Naruto's, wrapping gently around his friend's broad shoulders. Unthinking, one of his hands curled at the base of Naruto's neck, running through the soft, sunny tufts of hair. Naruto's body was warm against his, a strange heat seeming to seep from Naruto into him. There was also the slightly disturbing fact that Naruto was slowly molding his body to Gaara's, triggering the Kazekage's senses and sending them into high alert. He was nervous, completely on edge, and every movement Naruto made was felt through the heighted nerve endings of his well-trained body. The fingers which were still gripping the locks of Naruto's hair released slightly as Gaara moved his fingertips upward, the nails raking Naruto's scalp.

Naruto's head shifted, and a slight, airy breath was allowed out between his parted lips. Gaara regripped a portion of the hair he was running his hands through, causing Naruto to shudder against his body. Gaara wasn't sure at what point Naruto's head began moving toward the crook of his neck, but as soon as reached it Gaara immediately felt the warm, moist lips pressed against his skin. It was Gaara's turn to shudder as Naruto whispered into his pulse point, "Help me forget…just today, help me forget."

Everything slowed, time seemed to crawl forward as Naruto waited for a response. Gaara blinked, and looked up through the branches of the tree, trying to ignore his friend's mouth pressed against his neck. Gaara wasn't used to such intimate things, and he cursed himself for ever allowing himself to attempt this. As much as he chided himself for starting everything, there was a little voice in his head which nagged him to continue, to allow whatever was happening between him and Naruto.

Naruto's mouth was lipping a portion of Gaara's jawline, and as Naruto's cheek inadvertently brushed against his own, Gaara could feel the wet streak of tears which hadn't dried yet. Gaara even wondered if a little of that moisture wasn't new, seeing as Naruto had wiped his face before ever touching his friend. Naruto wasn't kissing him, but it was something akin to that. The blond's lips traced along his jaw, upward onto his cheek, and every tiny ministration of his mouth caused a rash of pleasurable prickles to erupt along the nerve endings on Gaara's skin. When Naruto's mouth approached Gaara's, there was a cessation in the Kazekage's breathing, it hitched as Naruto laid his lips hesitantly on the corner of his friend's.

Words tried to form, but Gaara's throat was dry and whatever Naruto was doing was intensely pleasurable despite the personal discomfort it caused the Kazekage. Naruto's mouth was warm, slightly open, and insistent as it settled into the crevices of Gaara's lips. The breath Gaara had been holding was slowly released in a long, steady stream of warm air, the minute part of his lips which it escaped through was quickly filled as Naruto began kissing him. It was the best and worst feeling Gaara had ever experienced. It caused a mixture of sheer terror and searing gratification as his friend's mouth worked over his own.

Slowly Gaara returned the kiss, reciprocating each movement Naruto made, allowing it to grow deeper and more heated with every passing moment. Naruto nipped sharply at Gaara's bottom lip, and when Gaara inadvertently parted his lips to reprimand Naruto a tongue gingerly slipped inside his mouth. It lapped at his teeth, then met and touched Gaara's own tongue, dancing for a moment before Naruto pressed it deeper into his friend's virgin mouth. The kiss was wet, their saliva intermingling as Gaara allowed Naruto to explore. There was something exquisite about the feeling and vibrations of Naruto's voice as he moaned into Gaara's mouth. It was quickly swallowed by their kiss, but Gaara could tell it was low and demanding. Perhaps it was more of a growl than a moan, but either way it caused an array of sensations to shoot throughout Gaara's body.

Their teeth clacked, and the sound was like a bell of urgency. Naruto's clothed body began pressing against Gaara's, and his hands gripped the slim hips of the Kazekage. It scared Gaara, because this was something he avoided purposely, not just with Naruto, but with anyone. The kiss was one thing, but now Gaara was suddenly pushed to the ground, Naruto's body atop his as he writhed, attempting to gain more contact between them. Gaara shoved his hands against Naruto's shoulders, applying pressure against his friend's developed muscular frame. It was a half-hearted attempt to get Naruto to stop, but in all actuality, even though this was frightening to Gaara, he wanted more.

Naruto slowed, but there was a blatant insistency in his actions which Gaara didn't understand. Naruto moved against him again, their chests no longer touching as much as other areas were. Naruto wasn't a large man, but he wasn't small by any means either. His shoulders were broad, and the taught muscles well defined, Gaara ran his hands along both of Naruto's arms, then hesitantly brushed them over the length of his friend's torso. The kiss was momentarily broken as Naruto took a minute to observe Gaara's inherent curiosity. The Kazekage's fingers continued to explore gingerly, a look of confusion still stuck on Gaara's face as he did so.

_Why on earth was he doing this?_ Gaara asked of himself. Naruto's motives were simple, driven by grief and need, but why was Gaara allowing something which terrified him so completely? Perhaps it was just his desire to please his friend, or maybe, Gaara pondered, he actually wanted this as well.

Naruto gave an impatient huff and pressed himself against Gaara once again. A low growl escaped Naruto's lips in lieu of words. Neither of them seemed to desire any more conversation about what was happening. The initial plea which Naruto made was enough of an explanation for what was needed without further discussion. There was more movement, the partial removal of some clothing, a bit of touching, Naruto attempting a hesitant rhythm which caused Gaara to whimper slightly in pleasure followed by a low moan.

It was all happening so fast that there wasn't time to object, nor was there a real desire to do so anymore. Gaara sighed, relishing in the experience he had been so unsure about only minutes before. Naruto's mouth was once again on his. The young kage was perspiring heavily, feeling smothered by the remaining clothing on his body. There was also a pressure which was beginning to drive him insane, his body reacting instinctively rather than by conscious thought.

Gaara wasn't even sure exactly what was happening as an intense shock of pleasure ran through his body. He allowed it, biting down on Naruto's lower lip and shutting his eyes tightly until it was over. There was silence as Naruto released Gaara. There was no happy smile, not even a glimmer of contentment as Naruto worked to clean them up. He seemed completely emotionless as he tucked himself away and allowed Gaara to do the same. Wiping his hands on a rag from his weapons pouch, Naruto sighed and leaned back against the tree again. Gaara might have consoled him if he weren't in shock from having not only his first real kiss, but also his first sexual encounter in a span of less than thirty minutes.

"You don't have to stay," Naruto mumbled, a bright flush covering his cheeks. He couldn't even manage to look Gaara in the eye.

"You don't want me to stay?" Gaara asked, hurt that Naruto might not want him there.

This immediately garnered an emotional response from Naruto, who scrunched his brows together, shaking his head at Gaara. "That's not what I said, it's just…" Naruto tripped over his words, his voice breaking as he tried to explain what he meant. "I don't want you or me to feel obligated."

A hurt anger filled Gaara's eyes as he sat up and gripped Naruto's shirt roughly in his fingers. "Why?" he hissed, "Why would either of us feel obligated?"

Naruto couldn't help the moisture forming in his eyes again. Hadn't this day been tough enough on him? "I'm not into guys," he murmured.

Gaara gritted his teeth in frustration, not believing Naruto would say such a thing after what he did, and definitely not accepting what his friend said as the truth. "You could have fooled me, Uzumaki," he growled, reverting back to a name which was much less familiar sounding, none of their normal informalities present as he scolded Naruto.

Both of them sat in silence for a moment, and after Gaara allowed his rage to subside, he realized Naruto was holding him. Very slightly, but still a loose embrace as one hand was on one hip and the other was gripping his shoulder lightly. Naruto was still unable to look Gaara in the eyes, but even without directly seeing those cerulean depths, Gaara recognized the immense pain Naruto was carrying.

"I won't let you push me away," Gaara whispered. "You refused to give up on me, now I refuse to give up on you."

The fingers which were gripping Gaara tugged harder on the kage's clothing, ever so slightly urging Gaara toward him. Naruto couldn't swallow his anguish this time, so he wasn't able to reply to Gaara's determined words, but he was able to allow himself to be held once more. Naruto shifted, his body lingering near Gaara's before he solidified the embrace. No more words were said, just two friends holding one another and allowing a deeper connection to be forged. The last of their walls, insecurities, and preconceived notions being discarded as the two of them discovered something better than they had with each other before.

* * *

**A/N's**: Now extended! Go read chapter 2  



	2. Chapter 2

**_Someone To Hold  
by thatreevesgirl/Lemon Drops (both me)  
Chapter 2: Missing You_**

* * *

**_Author's Notes:_**_ This was originally a one-shot, but I have had many requests to continue it, so here I am, bringing you a second chapter. Pretty raw, self-beta'd, so let me know if you see errors. _

* * *

Months had passed since that day in the Konohan training grounds. Gaara had returned to Suna to continue his duties as the Kazekage, and Naruto's life had resumed in Konoha. There was such a large literal distance between them that it almost made the figurative distance seem menial in comparison. Gaara plucked through the papers and scrolls stacked on his desk, signing a few here and there as he let his mind wander. Gaara wondered if there was any bit of truth in what he had said to Naruto that day.

Gaara had told Naruto that he refused to let himself be pushed away, but isn't that exactly where he was? Pushed away? Gaara was hundreds of miles from his friend. Gaara was definitely too far away to be of any help if Naruto needed it. What if Naruto had another breakdown? What if Naruto needed Gaara, but there was no way of reaching the Kazekage in time? The thoughts troubled the Kazekage as he considered them.

Another thing Gaara had thought about quite a bit since returning home was what had happened between them. The kissing and touching, the embraces, the way Naruto sat there with him for hours after their encounter and didn't say a word, only hugged him gently...

_It was only for that one day, _Gaara reminded himself. He would be a fool if he thought there was more to it than that. Naruto had just wanted someone to help him forget his pain, he hadn't asked for anything else. A few kisses and a bit of mutual pleasuring didn't add up to any more than a small indiscretion, Gaara was sure of that. His friend had been lonely and sad, and heartache drove you to do many reckless things. It was a truth that the Kazekage knew all too well. Gaara needed to give up on the thought of liking Naruto. Naruto was his friend, not a potential lover. Did Gaara even want Naruto to be that? There was a reason the young Kazekage shied away from love and relationships, he didn't seek them out for a reason. Gaara concluded long ago that he wasn't meant for love.

It was too bad Gaara's heart didn't agree. Sometimes his thoughts would stall for hours on the wondrous memory of the sensation of having Naruto kiss him. The gentle movements of his friend's mouth atop his, coaxing and guiding Gaara, teaching him what felt nice. And it did feel nice. Gaara couldn't deny that. His first true kiss was wonderful, despite it being with a man. Wouldn't the council of elders hate to hear that? If Gaara even breathed a word that he'd done anything with Naruto, he was sure the pompous geezers would revolt in all their old fashioned, prejudiced glory. Sand wasn't known for its tolerance.

"Kazekage-sama," one of his guards said, breaking Gaara away from his thoughts. The jounin was holding a messenger scroll bound with a privacy seal which only Gaara knew how to undo. It was from Leaf. Immediately the young Kazekage's mind began spinning out of control, worried about what could possibly be so important that it had to be sent in such a secretive way.

Gaara's sand whipped the scroll away from the jounin, who was rather surprised by the Kazekage's rash behavior. The man just rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and made his way back to his post at the door. "If you need me to send the reply, please just call," Gaara's guard told him quietly. Gaara nodded absently, but didn't respond verbally to the other man. He was too busy trying to remember the complex order of seals that would break open the scroll without destroying it.

It wasn't good news. Gaara knew intrinsically that this scroll contained something bad. There were other types of secret seals which were used for more pleasant reports, this one meant Leaf was attempting to keep bad news contained. Finally, freeing the scroll and unraveling it, Gaara's eyes skimmed for Naruto's name. Something happening to Naruto was one thing he knew his allies would send him news of in this manner. He wasn't able to focus on any other bits of the message, only the possibility of Naruto's name. Then Gaara found it, but not where he expected. The scroll was signed, _Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime._

Naruto…the sixth Hokage? Gaara's eyes flew back to the top of the letter, seeing now that it was indeed under bad circumstances that this was sent to him. Tsunade, the fifth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, had passed away of natural causes three days ago. It was so diplomatic and dry, none of Naruto's normal candidness in the scroll's message. Gaara ran his fingers over the messy handwriting of his friend and wondered if Naruto was managing through the transition well. It had been rather rough for Gaara the first few weeks.

"Tanaka," Gaara summoned one of his most trusted guards, "Please call for Kankurou, I need to see him as soon as possible." Gaara's voice was soft and strong, and the Kazekage's subordinate bowed with a quick, "Yes sir," before leaving his post to fetch Gaara's brother.

Gaara reread the letter during the time it took to find and bring Kankurou to him. It still bothered him to see such formality in Naruto's words to him. Even Tsunade's letters were more informal, even under worse circumstances. Gaara was still lost in thought when Kankurou stepped into his office. The puppet-nin seemed a bit put off by his brother's impatient need to drag him into his office immediately, but sat obediently

in the chair across from Gaara's desk. "What is it?" he asked, "I was in the middle of an important meeting with our ANBU."

Gaara didn't speak, but he did glare at Kankurou as he handed his brother the scroll. Kankurou knew if it had been truly bad news, Gaara would have already deployed ninja, so he huffed quietly as he began reading. The two of them had slipped into something more casual, more brotherly over the years, which explained their behavior toward one another. Gaara wouldn't tell his sibling, but he liked this too. It felt more like what a real family should act.

"I think I should go to Konoha and see if I can offer them help with the transition," Gaara said quietly when Kankurou finished reading the letter.

Kankurou glanced up, raising an eyebrow at his little brother. "They didn't ask for assistance," he told Gaara firmly.

"I know…" Gaara's voice trailed off for a moment. "But I know Naruto will need it. I've been in his position before."

"You were fourteen when you were inaugurated, I'm sure that Naruto is much more prepared at twenty-five," Kankurou countered. He didn't invite more conversation about the trip to Konoha from his little brother, instead the older of the remaining sand siblings folded his arms across his chest and eyed Gaara suspiciously. "You want to tell me what is really going on? You've been distracted since the last time you visited him."

Gaara's darkly contoured green eyes widened. "Kankurou," he whispered in a warning tone, but didn't finish his thoughts. He hadn't realized he had been so obvious. Gaara briefly wondered if more people than just Kankurou had noticed his behavior.

Kankurou took that as confirmation that something had indeed happened. "Yo, Tanaka," Kankurou shouted to the shinobi standing guard, "Shut the door. I need to discuss something with the Kazekage in private."

The jounin complied immediately, and Gaara found himself face to face with his brother as Kankurou leaned over his desk and narrowed his eyes at the Kazekage. "You want to explain yourself now?"

"No," was the cold reply from Gaara. "I don't need to explain myself to you. You of all people should know that."

Kankurou scoffed, then as an afterthought actually kicked Gaara's desk with the tip of his sandal. "I don't need to lose another piece of my family to that damn village. It was bad enough with Temari," Kankurou hissed bitterly.

The memory of his sister flooded Gaara's mind. Her death had been one of the most difficult things Gaara had ever experienced. Kankurou felt similarly, and held a grudge against Leaf for it. They took away his precious sister by pressuring her to go on a joint mission several years ago. Kankurou didn't care if it was for the sake of her _other _family or that damn lazy husband of hers, he hated how she died protecting that village.

"I could order you to come with me," Gaara told his brother evenly.

Kankurou actually laughed, "Then who would run this place while you're gone, Gaara? Sometimes I think you still don't understand all the work required of your position."

One of Gaara's eyes twitched, his brother was being irrational and annoying. He knew Leaf was a sore subject with Kankurou, but it still didn't make it right to treat the Kazekage with such blatant disrespect. He didn't accept such rudeness from anyone else, and he certainly wasn't going to take it from Kankurou when both he and his brother were on duty. Gaara tried to hold back the evil smirk reminiscent of his youth as he stood to meet his brother's impetuous stare, but it crept onto his lips no matter how hard Gaara tried to hold it back.

"You will not treat me with so little regard, Kankurou," Gaara hissed as his hand smacked down hard on the top of his desk, a resounding thud echoing throughout the large office. "And you _will_ be going with me to Konoha. If only to help you deal with your own demons, brother."

Sand wrapped around one of Kankurou's wrists and pulled him obediently back into the chair by Gaara's desk. Kankurou sent his brother a scathing glare, but didn't add any more retorts. He'd done enough damage today already, and he didn't want to piss off Gaara more. His brother was fairly stable, but there were still times like today when his old nature seemed to leak through. "Yes, Kazekage-sama," he murmured dejectedly. "I understand."

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Naruto? I mean Izumo has been training for this position for years, and my classes at the academy are important. I've spent most of the year with those students, and a new teacher now won't…"

Naruto chuckled and waved off Iruka's excuses. "I think you'll help me stay on track, Iruka-sensei. I wouldn't trust anyone else with this job."

Iruka looked stunned as Naruto complimented him. He couldn't help giving Naruto a big smile as he started unpacking his things at the smaller desk meant for assistants. Iruka laid down a few photos here and there, and when he was done it was very reminiscent of his desk back at the ninja academy.

"I'd rather have you as my top assistant than Izumo or Genma anyway," Naruto continued. "Those two pester me a lot about what I'm doing wrong, but I just want to forge my own path."

"Just like your father," Kakashi murmured to Naruto as Kakashi moved from the chair he'd been sitting in to the window. The older man glanced out the large expanse of window which ran along an entire wall of the Hokage's office. When his words caught Naruto's attention, he only gave his former student a smiling eye crease as explanation.

"Well," Naruto joked, "That makes you Jiraiya I suppose." The young, blond Hokage let his hand linger on his heart at the mention of his old teacher. He missed the pervert so much these days. Naruto wished he could have a few more of the sage's lessons before he started acting in any official capacity as the village's sixth Hokage. "Are you sure you're okay with this, Kakashi?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, I'm sure. The Hokage position is meant for those with an undeniable spirit. I think I'm getting too old for those kinds of things. And I don't think I would have…"

Kakashi's voice trailed off, and Naruto could see the hard line his mouth formed beneath the copy-nin's mask. Naruto didn't argue even though he wanted to. He watched as his teacher absently allowed a hand to wander to the scarred patch of tissue which covered his sunken left eye, stitched shut to prevent infection. There was no eye there anymore. Naruto knew before leaving the office Kakashi would replace his forehead protector to keep up the appearance that he still had the sharingan eye in that empty eye socket of his. The memory haunted Kakashi, despite how many years ago it was taken away. Naruto sighed, he wanted so badly for his mentor to realize that even without it he would have made an excellent Hokage.

Iruka walked over to Kakashi and laid a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder. The two of them had become close over the years, having Naruto to bridge what seemed to be their incompatible personalities. Naruto liked how he was able to bring people together, it was his gift. He wanted nothing less than to unite all the ninja nations in peace, but a real one, a true and willing peace.

Naruto sighed and pulled a box of his own onto the Hokage desk. There was no more time today to idly dream. He started scattering his possessions onto the large oak surface. There were some jutsu reference books (just in case), and some pens, a couple of pads to write notes to himself, and then a small stack of photo frames to adorn his work area with reminders of the love and friendships he had gained throughout his life.

His favorite was one taken at a formal diplomatic party about five years ago. There were so many friends and memories in that picture. Naruto smirked as he saw Kakashi in the picture smiling under his mask with his arm around Tsunade (jokingly of course). Iruka and Shizune were holding hands, both of them blushing. It was taken at the beginning of their relationship, before they had settled down with one another and had a baby. There were a lot of the rookie nine in the picture, so of course there were his teammates. Sakura, Sasuke…

Naruto sniffed quietly as he looked at the baby cradled in Sasuke's arms. Aiko was so cute when she was little. There was also Temari with her husband Shikamaru, Kankurou hanging all over Ino in some sad attempt to flirt with her, and in the corner was a stoic looking Kazekage raising a glass of wine for the toast they were making. _Gaara…_ Naruto thought quietly to himself, they hadn't spoken since that day several months ago. Naruto pushed aside the thoughts of his friend and continued to set up his desk.

"So we should probably start making some duty rosters," Iruka said as he pulled a clipboard out of his desk drawer. "And maybe start sorting through today's new A-ranked missions. Izumo told me that there are two which need assigned. Also we need to talk about pairing off teams for the upcoming class of graduating genin and start looking for suitable jounin for the sensei positions."

Naruto nodded and pulled out a stack of papers which were left for him in the mission office. The blond man shuffled through it for a minute until he found what he was looking for. "Let's start with mission assignments, then the duty rosters. I'd like to meet the future genin before making any decisions there. We also need to find a replacement for you, Iruka-sensei."

"Ah, yes we do," Iruka told Naruto with a smile. "I hope my students aren't too rough on whoever fills my position. They were quite the class of pranksters. Almost as bad as your year, Naruto. Nearly as promising as future ninja too."

Naruto was about to reply to that when there was a soft knock on the door. Kakashi quickly replaced his forehead protector, and Iruka walked over and opened it to reveal a tiny Uchiha girl holding a cat almost as big as she was in her arms. "Hi, Iruka-sensei," she told the older man with a smile. "Is Uncle Naruto around?"

Iruka reached down and patted Aiko on the head and scratched Biki her nin-cat under the chin before answering. "Well, Aiko, your Uncle Naruto is pretty busy with his first official day as the Hokage."

"I know, I just wanted to give him a welcome present," she replied, dropping the cat to the floor. Biki, a large white cat with black spots on his back and paws, slinked into the Hokage's office and jumped up on Naruto's desk.

Biki wore ninja gear which was reminiscent of what Kakashi's nin-dogs adorned. It looked at Naruto and instead of meowing like a normal cat, it gruffed out a sour, "Hello, idiot."

Naruto tried to be pissed, but couldn't help the smile the impetuous animal caused him. Biki had been Sasuke's best nin-cat, and the Uchiha had trained the damn thing to be a bit too much in his likeness. "Hi, Biki-boo," Naruto cooed at the animal. He smirked and watched as the white cat bristled its fur at the Hokage.

"Biki doesn't like it when you call him Biki-boo, Uncle Naruto," Aiko said as she bounded over to the desk with a small wrapped present in her hand. She thrust it up toward Naruto with a huge smile on her face. "This is for you."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Biki and brushed him off of the desk. Turning to Aiko, he plucked the small gift from her hand. "I know Biki-boo doesn't like my nickname for him, that's why I use it, Aiko. Thank you for the present, can I open it now?"

Aiko nodded. Naruto wasted no time and tore eagerly into the wrapping paper. Inside was a small picture frame with a picture of Naruto, Kakashi, and herself at the ramen stand. "Do you like it?" Aiko asked excitedly.

Naruto's mouth spread into a wide grin as he placed the newest addition to his picture collection on his desk next to the rest. "I love it, Aiko. Thank you!" And with that, Naruto scooped Aiko up into his arms and gave her a hug so big that she giggled and complained about not being able to breathe. Naruto put the young girl back on the ground and smirked at her, "Now I really have to get to work, because I have a lot of paperwork to get done today."

Naruto sat down in his Hokage chair and started going over a list of available jounin for the two A-rank missions. He didn't shoo Aiko out of the office, and when Iruka started to do it for him, Kakashi grabbed the chuunin by the shoulder. "Let her stay, I think Naruto would like that," Kakashi whispered to Iruka. The former academy teacher wasn't sure about that, but as Aiko quietly plopped down on the floor next to Naruto's desk (beside a sulking Biki) and pulled a small notebook and some colors out of her hippack, Iruka realized she wouldn't cause any problems.

"She reminds me a lot of Sakura as a child," Iruka said as he sat down at his own desk and started on the duty roster. Kakashi nodded at Iruka as he against a wall and watched Naruto and Aiko both working hard. Iruka looked up at Kakashi, making sure to have eye contact with the copy-nin before continuing, "Shizune keeps reminding me to let you know that you need to start training her soon. Our village can't be without the Sharingan for very much longer. There are a lot of Uchiha documents that only a person with the Sharingan can translate for us."

This didn't please Kakashi at all, in fact, his face became very serious at the mention of Aiko gaining the Sharingan. "Don't pressure her," Kakashi warned. He was very protective of Sakura and Sasuke's daughter. "The Sharingan initially activates in times of intense stress or if the user is in need of dire protection." The next part the copy-nin whispered, "She's only a little girl, so I don't care if she shows more aptitude than either of her parents, there is no rush to force it out of her. We don't even know if she inherited it."

Iruka drew his brows together, and took a long, deep breath. He studied the young Uchiha girl for an extended time before replying to Kakashi. "I know that," he started, "But all of Tsunade's tests indicated that she has more potential than even Itachi did as a child where the Sharingan is concerned."

"And look where that got the village," Kakashi quietly snapped back, sighing and then crossing his arms in frustration. He didn't like how many of the village elders and higher ranking ninja made that particular comparison between Itachi and Aiko. "Do you know that they forcibly activated Itachi's Sharingan when he was only five?" Kakashi lectured Iruka. "Do have any idea _how_ they went about doing it?"

Kakashi allowed one lazy eye to watch Aiko, then he returned his gaze to Iruka. Kakashi waited for an answer, and when Iruka shook his head no Kakashi added, "Good, you don't want to know. According to the Uchiha clan, I was just a mutt that stole their blood limit, but I was still privy to some of the classified Uchiha secrets. I never, _never_ want to see what happened to Itachi happen to Aiko."

Iruka swallowed hard, trying to process all of what Kakashi had said. He couldn't remember a time when Kakashi had said so much in one passing, or been so passionate about it. Whatever happened to Itachi must have been brutal. Iruka couldn't bear to see Aiko become such an uncaring, ruthless monster like her real uncle had been. It was something he was sure Naruto would abhor as well.

* * *

Gaara stood at the front gates of Konoha, his gourd strapped to his back as three jounin came out to meet him. "Kazekage-sama!" one of the three said excitedly with a smile on his face. "It is very good to see you," and with that Lee dipped his body stiffly into a deep bow.

Waiting first for Lee to bring himself back up to a standing position, Gaara reciprocated with a small bow and then extended his hand slowly in greeting, which was taken almost instantaneously and shaken vigorously by the bushy browed young man. He might have shaken Gaara's arm right off had Lee's teammate and friend not smacked him upside the head.

"Cut it out, Lee," TenTen warned. She also lent a welcoming bow to the Kazekage's convoy. "We received word of your visit early this morning via carrier bird, Kazekage-sama. We are glad you made it safely here without incident."

Neji, the last of Rock Lee's team of jounin, bowed silently, nodding to both Gaara and Kankurou. Gaara returned the nod and then walked toward the gates and registry area. He noted how all three of the Konohans who greeted them looked tired. He supposed that is what happens when you lose a leader like Tsunade. The entire village was still mourning the loss of their fifth Hokage. But, Gaara mused, she did something that was rare for any kage. Tsunade did not die in battle. Perhaps that was due, in part, to the tentative peace which seemed to be in place since the elimination of the Akatsuki organization. None of the ninja nations were willing to wage war so soon after the near destruction of all their villages.

Kankurou dropped the bag which had been slung over his back. Gaara watched as he talked quietly with the two Sand jounin they'd brought along for additional protection. There was also a squad of Suna ANBU who didn't enter the gates of Konoha and wouldn't be registered with their party. They would stay outside the village and maintain a tight surveillance of the area during Gaara's visit with Suna's strongest allies. After filling out the necessary paperwork, Gaara, Kankurou, and the two jounin guards picked up their meager luggage and made their way into the village with Lee's team as a guide.

Lee refused to allow Gaara to carry his own bag, and took it from him, claiming it was what friends did. Gaara nodded at Lee, but didn't say anything in return. Gaara remained quiet as Lee and TenTen chattered on about many things and changes which had happened since the Kazekage's last visit, but he couldn't quite concentrate on what the two of them were saying. His mind was elsewhere, especially when they passed the entrance to the training grounds. Gaara winced, remembering more clearly now as he looked into the wooded areas reserved for sparring what had really happened between himself and Naruto. Gaara touched his mouth absently and starred off into the distance.

"Is something wrong?" Lee asked his friend. Lee's dark eyes attempted to search the Kazekage's, but Gaara turned away and shook his head no. He didn't feel like trying to explain himself at the moment. The situation was hard enough to deal with, and Gaara didn't want to make excuses for his odd behavior. He murmured he was fine and promptly moved onto another topic, asking Neji how the assimilation of the two branches of the Hyuuga clan into one was coming.

Neji looked about as excited to talk as Gaara had been. Hyuugas were immensely private people, but it was no secret that one of Tsunade's largest accomplishments was her decree to forcibly stop the segregation and semi-slavery within the Hyuuga clan. Gaara knew if Neji wasn't wearing his forehead protector, the lack of a seal on his forehead would speak more about the progress than Neji could. Neji looked over his shoulder and down at the Kazekage. He was a very tall, broad man, and his hair whipped idly around his waist where it had escaped from the loose tie it had been in. It made Gaara feel miniature in comparison.

"I suppose the transition has been rough, but that was to be expected," the Hyuuga finally said. "Since my Uncle's death life has been a bit turbulent." He looked down at Gaara again, then silently continued on their walk. Lee picked up where Neji left off, telling stories about how Hinata had made great strides in improving the Hyuugas since she took power. TenTen and Neji both laughed at their teammate, knowing that Lee's crush on Hinata was almost as bad as his crush on Sakura had once been.

"Lee, you're hopeless," TenTen giggled into her hand, shooing him and Neji off once they'd arrived at the Hokage tower. "I'll take our guests inside and meet you back at the gates for the rest of our shift." The young woman grabbed Gaara's bag from Lee and pushed him away. When Lee started to argue, TenTen looked him square in the eye and said firmly, "Gaara is probably tired after his trip, and _you_ are exhausting. Go back to our post and I'll meet you there soon."

Lee didn't try to argue any longer, instead he dejectedly began walking down the dusty street with Neji. Gaara watched as they went, and then allowed a couple of Konohan shinobi to open the doors to the tower for him.

"I'll take you to the guest suites," TenTen told Gaara with a smile, and as she gestured inside he noticed the ring on her left hand.

"You're married," Gaara whispered. "Neji forgot to mention that. So they finally allowed your union?"

TenTen blushed, and grabbed her hand and rubbed her wedding ring as she nodded. "Lee has a big mouth," she grumbled. "No one was supposed to know about our problems with that."

"The Hyuugas are picky people," Kankurou added to the conversation. "They don't let just anyone into their clan."

"And I was certainly not anyone," TenTen murmured sadly, "Just a simple kunoichi who specialized in weaponry. I was lucky Neji loved me so much, because I don't think our union would have happened if he hadn't fought so hard for it."

Gaara quirked a hairless brow at TenTen, surprised at how candid she was being about her relationships. Lee was a good friend of Gaara's, but TenTen and Neji always seemed more distant. Gaara studied Lee's teammate carefully for a second. "Please don't take this the wrong way," Gaara told TenTen, "But the two of you don't seem to have that much in common, but you say you are deeply in love?" The idea of love always intrigued Gaara. It disturbed Kankurou how often the Kazekage brought it up in casual conversation.

TenTen looked surprised at Gaara's question, then she understood and let loose a cheery laugh. "You try being a part of team weird," she quipped. "Neji and I found a lot of solace in one another. If it weren't for him, I think I would have lost my mind back in my genin days. Gai-sensei alone is enough to send you packing for the nuthouse. Dealing with both him and Lee together was like living in some ninja twilight zone."

Kankurou let out a deep laugh after TenTen said that, one which surprised Gaara. He'd fully expected Kankurou to be prickly and complain the entire time they were here. Perhaps, the Kazekage thought, Kankurou was beginning to remember that he too had friends here in Konoha. It wasn't all loss and sadness in this village for them. There were many things which made Konoha a very bright and happy place. One of them, Gaara remembered, was probably up in the Hokage's office right now. Gaara wondered if his presence had been announced to Naruto yet, or if it would be a surprise when Gaara just showed up at his office door.

"This way," TenTen motioned, stopping at some of the smaller guest quarters. She unlocked the door and led Kankurou and Gaara inside, placing Gaara's bag on one of the beds.

"What, no luxury suites?" Kankurou griped, "I was hoping for all the perks."

Gaara growled under his breath. Kankurou could be such an inconsiderate person at times, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with his brother's idiosyncrasies at the moment. "Thank you, TenTen," Gaara said as he turned to the kunoichi and attempted a small smile. It came out flat and forced, but TenTen appreciated the effort. She handed Gaara a set of keys for his room and then gave a different set for the room next door to Gaara's guards. With a quick wave, she was gone.

"I think I'm going to find a tavern," Kankurou said as he shrugged off his travel clothing and put on something more casual. "A couple of beers sound mighty tasty. Want to come with me little brother?"

Gaara shook his head and watched as Kankurou shrugged. The puppet-nin was as indifferent as they came, not caring one way or the other if anyone went with him. Kankurou swaggered out of the room and decided to ask the two jounin guards if they wanted to go with him as drinking buddies. They did, seeing as the trip had been long and exhausting.

"Be safe, and say hi to Uzumaki for me," Kankurou told him as he left. Gaara just stared at the room's wall as his brother left.

Gaara propped his gourd against one of the beds. He contemplated going up to see Naruto now, but it was more complicated than that. What would he say to his friend when he got there? Would it be awkward being around each other again? The two of them hadn't spoken for nearly three months. Before that day when they had kissed their contact through letters and messenger birds had been weekly. Naruto's absence, even the loss of his letters, was painful and difficult to deal with. Not only had Gaara's friend drifted away from him, but the doorway to something more than friendship Uzumaki had opened for Gaara so unexpectedly was slammed almost immediately in his face. It troubled him and it hurt.

Wringing his hands together, Gaara paced a bit, his short, clipped steps making a dull thud on the carpet. The window in the room was small, but there were still cascades of brilliant hues spilling forth from it into the room. The sun was setting, Gaara realized, so Naruto was probably heading home for the evening. _No use in going to see him now_, he thought.

Gaara allowed himself a deep sigh and felt relieved that he didn't have to confront Naruto quite yet. It was liberating to know he didn't have to face that situation until he had his emotions under control. Looking back out the window at the dusky sky starting to blanket the horizon, Gaara felt a familiar pang of hunger in his belly. He hadn't eaten all day, and there was no food in the room. He would have to go out to procure his own meal. Gaara took the keys TenTen had given him and locked the door. Then he began making his way outside to find a restaurant, following a dimly lit hallway inside the Hokage Tower. He preferred some eatery which Naruto didn't frequent, but ramen wasn't one of Gaara's favorite foods, so he felt he was safe.

"And then…and then I threw the kunai at the target, but it accidentally hit Uncle Kakashi in the leg! I thought he was going to die!" an excited girl's voice sounded from further down the corridor.

Gaara thoughts swam. He knew that voice. That was the sound of a very small, very cute Uchiha girl who was most commonly seen with Hatake Kakashi and... "Naruto," Gaara whispered aloud to himself.

Three people came around a corner quickly, leaving Gaara with no means of escape. There was indeed Aiko and Kakashi, and with them, holding a stack of papers in his arms, was the Hokage. The three of them seemed surprised to see Gaara standing there.

Aiko's shock was the first to wear off as she shouted a happy, "Uncle Gaara!" and made her way to the Kazekage, throwing her arms around his leg when she got close enough.

Gaara bent down and said hello to Aiko, who quickly hugged him again without warning. He stood there quietly and allowed the embrace as he eyed Naruto and Kakashi cautiously. Naruto was the first to break the silence. "Gaara, what are you doing here?"

"I sent word via messenger bird that I'd be visiting," the redhead murmured, stretching his body back to his full height, leaving Aiko smiling devilishly at his feet. "I received the message about Tsunade and wished to pay my respects, and…" he stopped momentarily to consider the right words to say, "I thought maybe you'd need some help or advice during this difficult time."

Naruto's face, normally cheery and bright, turned stony and cold when Gaara offered him this. Looking at the floor he shook his head, "No, I think I'm doing fine, but thank you."

Gaara was confused, even more now than when he tried to sort through his feelings for Naruto after the experience they had by the memorial stone. What had happened to their friendship? They had spent a decade forging it, and during all that time they never acted like this toward one another. Never, _never_, had Naruto treated him so unfriendly or been so aloof. Gaara could almost feel the chasm between them, and he didn't understand it one bit.

"Ah, Gaara," Kakashi broke the tension, "I'm sure you could contribute a lot. Don't listen to Naruto, he's just being stubborn like usual."

Gaara could easily see it was a lie, but was grateful for it all the same. Kakashi scratched the back of his head and looked at his former student, the blond man fumed as he continued to stare at the ground. Naruto pursed his lips together angrily and shoved past Kakashi to a nearby door, unlocked it, and walked inside.

Aiko tugged at Gaara's pantleg until she finally got his attention, "Are you going to come eat supper with us? Uncle Kakashi said he would cook."

"I don't think that would be wise, little one," Gaara murmured back. Turning his attention to Kakashi, Gaara pointed at the door Naruto had stepped through, "Are those Naruto's Hokage quarters?" he asked.

Kakashi nodded and motioned for Aiko to go on inside. "I'll be there in a minute," he told her as he patted her head just like he used to do to Sakura. Aiko's face scrunched into a familiar sour look, just like Sakura used to, but she heeded Kakashi's request. A large, white cat which Gaara hadn't noticed before followed her inside, and then there was a faint click of the door shutting. He and Kakashi were alone in the hallway.

"Gaara," Kakashi began, taking a few steps toward the Kazekage, "It's good to see you. How have you been?"

Gaara managed a strangled, "Well," before his eyes locked on the door to Naruto's apartment. "What was…" he started, but let his voice trail off. It wasn't like Hatake Kakashi would have any answers either.

Kakashi studied the Kazekage for a minute, then laid a hand on Gaara's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I know what happened between the two of you," Kakashi whispered. Frantically, Gaara's eyes searched upward until his gaze caught Kakashi's eye. How did Kakashi know? Had Naruto told him?

"I'm not sure I know what you mean," Gaara started, but was promptly interrupted.

"Of course you do, Gaara," Kakashi said warmly, crinkling his one uncovered facial feature into what could only be construed as an eye-smile. "And I just want you to know, you _still _shouldn't give up on him."

"What?" Gaara quipped. His fingers grabbed wildly and found purchase on Kakashi's flak jacket. "What did you say?" he almost growled.

"You told Naruto you wouldn't give up on him, so don't," Kakashi repeated. "Now do you understand?"

Releasing Kakashi and pushing away from the other man, Gaara sighed and closed his eyes. He could feel a headache breeching his mind, working its way into his temples and then the rest of the corners and recesses of his head. "Not completely," the Kazekage said harshly. "I don't think I will every truly understand this situation."

Kakashi looked at Naruto's door, then at Gaara. After a moment or two of deliberation, it was apparently decided by Kakashi that he should herd Gaara into Naruto's apartment. It was all very indignant, Gaara refused at first, so Kakashi shoved him lightly until he was at the door. Gaara tried to find reason not to go in so he could escape this confusing nightmare, but somewhere deep down, something refused to allow himself to run away. It was the part of Gaara which remembered the kisses and the embrace he had shared with his friend—the part which wanted to uncover the mystery of his own bewildered feelings.

Gaara took a deep breath and walked inside. Kakashi smiled and quietly followed.


End file.
